Chapter 262

House of the Golden Merchant "How are things unfolding?" The Golden Merchant Lord asked the chief steward as he gazed at the pond arranged in the garden. "It appears that Young Master Ha has opened a fabric shop near the port." "A fabric shop?" "Yes, a shop specializing in selling silk." "Silk, you say... That must have cost a fortune." It wasn't a bad choice. Merchants often go upriver on the Yangtze to procure Sichuan silk, known as Chok-gum, stopping at Wuhan instead of going all the way to Sichuan. Such a fabric shop would undoubtedly generate significant profit. However, the bustling marketplace near the port... The voucher he was given wouldn't be enough to secure such a shop and purchase silk. How exactly did he handle that? "I hear he's getting his supply from his father's store." The father of the man referred to as Young Master Ha also ran a significant fabric shop in Hubei Province. "I told him to do business, not to further his parents' affairs." "But the thing is... His business is flourishing." "It's not surprising, considering he's merely continuing his father's trade." "It seems the amount of silk circulating in Wuhan has diminished. Probably, Young Master Ha's father is adjusting the supply." The chief steward reported that, to boost his son's silk business, there was a sort of market manipulation going on. *Sigh.* "A father's love knows no bounds. What about the other grandsons?" With a small sigh and sarcasm-laden voice, the Golden Merchant Lord inquired about the other grandsons. "Well..." Trying hard to conceal the cold sweat running down his back, the steward began to explain the current situation. Compared to the others, Young Master Ha was doing relatively better. Most were either relying on family support or taking over and running subcontractor businesses affiliated with the family. "Useless lot. I told them to start their own businesses, yet they can't think beyond their parents' care." Deciding to share the one piece of good news he had, the steward spoke up to the Merchant Lord, who clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Not all of them are relying on family support. Young Master Gong is running a wine tavern." "A tavern, you say? Not an entertainment house?" "A simple wine tavern, but surprisingly, it has been attracting a constant stream of customers thanks to his business skills." Though running a tavern was better than what the others were doing, the Golden Merchant Lord wasn't particularly pleased with this news either. "I see. What about Kwon Yunho? How's that boy doing?" Without showing any hint of expectation, the Golden Merchant Lord casually asked about his last remaining hope. "He's working a delivery job." "A delivery job? Did he start a delivery service?" "It's not a delivery service; he took over an inn." "Running deliveries from an inn? Tell me more." Now this was interesting. For the first time today, the Golden Merchant Lord took his eyes off the pond and looked at the steward upon hearing about his grandson's activities. "Well, it turns out..." The steward began to detail what he had seen and heard. "Haha! So he created a business delivering food through messenger pigeons?" The Merchant Lord couldn't help but chuckle heartily at the news of a business he had never heard of before. "Initially, people hesitated due to the cost, but once they tried it, they found it so convenient that they kept using the service." "So, although he was initially hesitant to do business in Wuhan, he quickly gathered the Korean immigrants there and even became their leader? Ingenious. He has no connections in Wuhan, so he figured out he needed a network. He gathered talented individuals and started a business that no one else had thought of? And it's thriving?" Even though he had given the directive himself, it seemed his grandson was doing exceptionally well. "I knew he was talented, but this exceeded all my expectations." "He’s a lad with an eye for the tides of the world. He can find his path within the current." He knew how to compensate for his shortcomings, recognized what Wuhan lacked, and quickly figured out a lucrative venture. Anyone aiming to make big money must have a keen eye for the world. The Merchant Lord, who had long desired his qualities in a son or son-in-law, was genuinely excited about the talent he had discovered. "I will bring your granddaughter-in-law as soon as possible. But there's a bit of an issue." "What issue?" "I’ve heard that Miss Dang Hwa-rin is being treated as an immediate family member within the Sichuan Dang family." "An immediate family member? Wasn't Hwa-rin a child born out of wedlock?" The Merchant Lord had a general idea about Dang Hwa-rin's birth circumstances. "In martial clans, bloodlines are revered. It seems they have earmarked Miss Hwa-rin as the next prodigy to lead their family." "Is Hwa-rin's talent of such caliber?" Being merely talented wouldn’t be enough to surpass the barrier of being an illegitimate child. This implied she was an extraordinary genius to overcome the bloodline discrimination. "If the Dang family supports Miss Hwa-rin to that extent, your plan is worrisome, Sir." Pairing Kwon Yunho with his granddaughter. Though the Merchant Lord never intended to steal the son-in-law of the Baek Family's head, a man having multiple wives isn't unheard of, is it? However, who becomes the first wife would be quite significant. That was exactly the concern the steward had. "It doesn’t matter." The Merchant Lord spoke firmly. "But." "As long as I pair her with someone from a family the Sichuan Dang clan can't underestimate, it'll be fine." The Merchant Lord had a daughter who married into such an illustrious family that even the mighty Sichuan Dang clan could not take her lightly. --- Hubei Province. Rongzhong. A grand mansion in a village dominated by a single clan. A middle-aged woman, her sharp eyes glaring and her brows furrowed, walked briskly within the mansion. Despite her age, a noble elegance surrounded her, though her fiery temperament was evident. "Again he didn’t show up for the matchmaking meeting?! What were you all doing?!" The middle-aged woman raised her voice at the servant beside her. "W-Well... She was there until she got into the carriage. But when we opened the door, there was a wooden dummy dressed in her clothes." "Her skills are improving by the day! Where is that girl now?" "She's in the annex." Accompanied by a dozen servants, the woman headed toward the annex. "A mother is human too! I trusted you this time!!!" The middle-aged woman forcefully pushed open the annex door and shouted loudly enough for whoever was inside to hear. "She... she's in the innermost room." The servant pointed to where the middle-aged woman's daughter was. With each step the woman took, her face grew more and more furious. "I got married at sixteen! Your father, a blockhead who couldn't even hold my hand properly, I supported him until he became the head of the family! Your sisters are all married off! Your brothers too! What on earth are you scared of, hiding in the house all the time?!" "She's not here!" The servant ran out of the room, pale-faced and breathless. The room where the middle-aged woman's daughter was supposed to be was empty. "I know you’re listening!" The middle-aged woman shouted, addressing her daughter who was surely within earshot. "If you hate matchmaking that much, prove your talent like your sister, the famous poet! Or at least bring home a man you like! Haven’t I said that?!" "We’ll search the surroundings." The servants quickly gauged the situation and began opening each of the rooms in the annex, one by one. "Shutting yourself in the house all the time! Doing only what you like! Sleeping whenever you want! How are you going to find a good man like in a novel that way?!" "She’s not in her usual hiding places!" "This girl is something else! Everyone, search thoroughly! The empty wells! The closets! The chests! She even hid under the furnace last time, so check there too! This time, I'll tie her up and bring her to the match!" "Yes, Madam!" "And if any of you are hiding her, thinking you're helping—think again. You'll be thrown out with her!" "Understood!" "What are you waiting for? Start searching!" "Yes, Madam!" Spurred by the words of the wife of the head of the household, both servants and guards began to scour the area thoroughly. ----- "Are they gone?" Some time passed, long enough for even a mouse hiding within the mansion to be found, and the search ended. Now calm as if she had never been angry, the middle-aged woman asked a guard. "Yes, Miss has finally left. She secretly climbed into the luggage compartment of the cart that brought the letter from her grandfather." "Haha. When we comb the place like this, there's nowhere else for her to hide except there." No matter how much you try, you're still under your mother's care. The middle-aged woman chuckled as she read the letter from her father, the Golden Merchant Lord. The letter discussed matters related to the succession of the Golden Merchant Estate and mentioned a man handpicked by the Merchant Lord. "Is it really alright to do this? She hardly ever leaves the house, so I'm worried." "My father will have someone look after her. It’s fine." "But the fact that the man is a foreigner still bothers me. How could you marry off the family's daughter to someone like that...?" "My father vouched for him." With a cold tone, the Merchant Lord's daughter, the middle-aged woman, looked at the guard. “I apologize! I have tarnished the reputation of the great Golden Merchant Lord.” The guard knelt and begged for forgiveness for his lapse of judgment. "It doesn't have to be a perfect match. She needs to gain some experience with men." "Yes. I also hope she gains some worldly experience this time." "Haha. All she remembers is her grandfather pampering her during holidays, so she's practically walked into a trap." The Golden Merchant Lord's daughter, Jang Young-young, chuckled as she thought about her daughter naively boarding the carriage, not suspecting a trap. This time, she won’t be able to escape. Surely, she won’t shut herself away when she's not at home. Jang Young-young smiled bittersweetly, hoping her daughter would finally meet a man. Her father had praised the man highly, so he must be a decent match. Though it was possible that her daughter would reject him out of sheer stubbornness. However, the man could not refuse once he learned of her daughter’s family's name. Jang Young-young's in-laws were a family that could make the impossible possible. They were the most prestigious martial arts family in Hubei Province. The legendary Zhuge Family.